What is Tor Browser and how does it work?

Tor Browser is a privacy-focused web browser that routes your traffic through the Tor network, hiding your real IP address, preventing tracking, and protecting you against surveillance and censorship. Tor Browser uses the Tor network to protect your privacy and anonymity.

О браузере Tor

Tor Browser is based on Mozilla Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release) but has been heavily modified for use with the Tor network. These modifications include additional patches and features that enhance privacy and security, making Tor Browser fundamentally different from Firefox or any other browser.

It is specifically developed to resist online tracking and browser fingerprinting, helping to prevent websites from identifying you based on your browser configuration. While it is technically possible to route other browsers through Tor, doing so exposes you to serious risks of deanonymization and information leakage. For this reason, we strongly discourage using Tor with any browser other than Tor Browser.

By default, Tor Browser does not keep any browsing history. Cookies are only valid for a single session (until Tor Browser is exited or a New Identity is requested). Learn more about the design of Tor Browser.

The Tor network

Using the Tor network has three main properties:

  • Ваш интернет-провайдер и все, кто способен наблюдать за вашими подключениями, не смогут отслеживать ваши действия в сети, включая названия и адреса посещаемых сайтов.
  • Операторы веб-сайтов и сервисов, которыми вы пользуетесь, а также те, кто следит за ними, будут видеть соединение, исходящее из сети Tor, вместо вашего реального интернет-адреса (IP), и не будут знать, кто вы такой, пока вы явно не идентифицируете себя.
  • Tor allows you to circumvent censorship by enabling access to websites and online services that may be restricted or blocked in your region.

How Tor works

Tor – сеть виртуальных туннелей для повышения приватности и безопасности в интернете. Tor направляет ваш трафик через три выбираемых случайным способом сервера (реле) в сети Tor. Последнее реле в цепочке называется выходным реле и пересылает ваш трафик в открытый интернет. The image below illustrates a user browsing a website over Tor where the traffic goes over multiple hops or relays, represented by the slices of onion, and is encrypted and decrypted at each hop.

How Tor works

How Tor works